The Strategy
by The Spades Queen
Summary: Sakuno has had it! How will she ever make Ryoma notice her? Luckily help is on it's way, in an unexpected form. “Oh honey, there is more then one way to win a tennis match, skill is just a small part of the game. ” Is this girl insane?
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this is a short story on how Sakuno will get Ryoma in the end. I decided that the only way to make Ryoma notice her was if she beat him in a tennis game, and she would need my help with that. Now I know Sakuno seems OOC, but in my mind she has a darker side she can't let out normally. And even the kindest person ever can't help but feel fed up by Ryoma's denseness once in a while. **

**_Disclaimer:_ the only things I own in this story are Hana, because she's based on me, and Pierre. I don't own Prince of Tennis. I don't even own a tennis racket.**

~X~

"Mada mada dane, Ryuzaki"

Ugh! That arrogant bastard, I will to punch that smirk of his face!

..Oh, who do you think you're kidding Sakuno, you want to KISS that smug grin of his face! But that somehow doesn't seem as something Shy Sakuno would do... I think I just have to blush and stutter now.

"G-good game Ryoma-kun"

"Hn."

And... He walks away, typical. And "Hn" what is that supposed to mean? "Yes, Ryuzaki, you too" is that so hard? No, it isn't. Maybe he's just stupid or something.

Or maybe, he just can't be bothered to talk to you Sakuno, more like; he can't even be bothered by your existence. Great, now even my subconscious is against me!

You see, me and Ryoma-kun just ended a friendly tennis match -6-0 for the samurai junior... Do you even have to ask?- at a public tennis court. When I walked by and saw him, I just had to call his name, the guy is my crush after all, I couldn't help it and that's why I ruined a perfectly uneventful and therefore wonderful shopping trip. I swear, that guy is like a vampire, sucking away all my happiness. Or was that a Dementor? Oh, Who cares!

Anyway, after having said two words to eachother, we somehow ended up playing tennis. This in turn let to my complete and utter defeat.

I should really just give up on the tennis prince. He should just date his tennis racket. Okay! I'm going to give up on him!

….

…

..

…Okay, that didn't work. Shame, but it was worth the try. I guess love is not that simple huh?

Ugh, I swear I get so depressed of everything that is Ryoma Echizen. Why in the name of tennis, couldn't I have fallen for let's say... Horio.

…Oh ew, bad example! I'd date that Atobe guy before I'd date Mr. Unibrow. Don't take me wrong, he is a great friend but...

"Hey, you there! What's with the long face, boy trouble maybe?"

A girl, a very short girl called out to me. She had a tennis bag on her back. Well, time to stutter!

"N-no, I'm f-fine, thank you"

"You girl, are a very bad liar. Tell me what's wrong, maybe I can help!"

"N-no t-thank you…"

"Oh, come on~!"

She didn't look much older than me, had short blond hair, an overly happy look on her face and she didn't seem to take no for an answer. Time to play the shy girl card.

"W-well.. I don't really feel comfortable talking t-to a s-stranger… But really, I'm f-fine... "

"Stranger..? Oh, how rude of me! I wouldn't want to talk to someone either if they didn't give me their name! I'm Hana Sakamoto, from Rikaidai!"

Plan A: Failed. Plan B: Convince her that nothings wrong by acting happy and sweet.

"Nice to meet you Sakamoto-san, I'm Sakuno Ryuzaki, from Segaku"

"Ohh, so you CAN speak without stuttering!"

I can just feel myself getting red.

"Y-yes I guess so..."

"And call me Hana! Sakamoto-san is my father!"

"..Sure Hana-chan"

"Hana-chan huh.. How old are you?"

"14 years old, and you?"

"Haha, believe it or not, but I'm 16 years old!"

16 years old... but she's the same size as me! Is she a midget..?

"No way"

"Yes way Sakuno-chan, I'm your senior!"

Okay, I have to admit that up close, she looks more mature than me in some ways, she's just ridiculously short!

"W-well Hana-senpai it is then…"

"Cool! When you say it, it sounds so cute!"

There I go... blushing again. Someone should really make a medicine against blushing. I would kill for it, no maybe not, well…some people who just deserve it...

"Now tell me what is wrong, senpai's order!"

"Okay, you were right... It's a boy. "

Maybe she'll leave me be if I tell her of my miserable existence.

"I like him, I like him but he is an arrogant bastard who only ever thinks of tennis"

Hana looked at me with wide eyes, then a Cheshire cat grin forms on her face. Oh God...

"Ha! I knew you weren't as shy and sweet as you try to be!"

And... I blush again.

"I guess that's just the impression people get of me, I wouldn't want to disappoint them"

"Though I'd like to say it's best to just be yourself, I'd be a hypocrite, 'because that's exactly what I do sometimes..."

"You do?"

"Yes. But now for your problem, I can understand the matter completely, knowing some tennis players myself. Tell me, is he talented?"

"Oh, yes.. As talented as you get them."

"Ah… So he actually has a reason to be obsessed by tennis"

"Yeah, He even has a reason to be arrogant as hell…"

"I see… Is he cute?"

And… Blush once more~!

"Very"

"Okay… Does he do anything besides tennis?"

"I honestly have no idea… it seems unlikely"

"Hmm… This crush of yours, is his name Echizen?"

Oh God, she knows him. Cue the blush.

"Y-yes! Ryoma Echizen. How did you know? Am I that obvious?"

"Haha, maybe, but the reason I guessed was because I've been to most of the tennis games my school has played for the last few years, and I have seen your schools regulars. After that is was not a hard guess. Echizen has the looks, the skills and the attitude"

"You a tennis fan Hana-senpai?"

"I play a little, but I don't have the hand-eye coordination it takes to be a real tennis player. That and my tendency to attract balls, with my head…

No, if you want a real tennis fan you'll have to talk to my friend, who forced me to go to every tennis match with her so she can fangirl over them."

"I feel your pain… Though I had Ryoma-kun to look at"

"Ohh, but I had more than enough to look at…"

"Senpai!"

"What? Can't a girl enjoy the view once in awhile? You know I'm right, babe"

"I guess you're right…"

"Of course!

"Back to the samurai kid though, isn't he the son of Nanjirou Echizen?" _she even knows his 'title', who is she really?_

"I believe so.."

"Wasn't that like a major womanizer?"

"I have only seen him a few times, but he has this whole 'creepy pervert' thing going on you know.."

~X~

Somewhere on the other side of Tokyo, a monk sneezes. He scratches his head "There must be some hot chicks talking about me"

~X~

"I see… That is a sign he was a player in the past… "

"You think so…?"

"I know so. Tell me, has Echizen junior the makings of a womanizer?"

"If you don't count the looks… Then, no I don't think so, I often fear he's asexual"

~X~

Somewhere on a train on it's way home, a young tennis prince sneezes.

~X~

"In some ways that is a pro for you, you won't have to fear for cheating"

"But I also can't hope for an intimate relationship"

"Very true, but if the pervert genes are there…"

On that note, it started raining, and not softly or anything. It had all the makings of a rainstorm. Hana and I looked at eachother for a moment, then started running.

~X~

"So, this is better"

We are in small café. It's warm, dry and has a nice atmosphere. I like it. We were both drinking café latte.

"uhuh, but can I ask you something Hana-senpai?"

"Ask away!"

"Why are you trying to help me?"

"Why? Because you are my new friend, and friends help eachother! And when I saw you looking all down in the dumps I wanted to help you!"

For some reason I just got a flashback of the many times Tomo tried helping me, it wasn't pretty.

"That, and I just love things like this!"

"I see…"

Not knowing what else to say to that, I just sip of my coffee.

"Well.. while we were running, I have thought about the problem at hand"

Oh, God.

"The problem is, he doesn't notice you, not more than any other person in his life anyway, so I have come to the following solution: you have to make him notice you!"

Is this girl stupid?

"And how do I do that exactly?"

"Oh, that's simple: beat him in a tennis match."

Is this girl for real? I, crowned Miss Wobbly Hips by Ryoma Echizen himself, have to beat the before mentioned Prince of tennis in a tennis match? She's insane.

"You're insane"

"Oh honey, there is more then one way to win a tennis match, skill is just a small part of the game. "

"Huh?"

I know, intelligent replay, but I can't comprehend what she's saying, as I've stated before; she's insane.

"Intimidation and manipulation, those are the key factors"

"You want me to threaten Ryoma-kun? I'll tell you that doesn't even work with GUYS twice my size"

"Intimidation isn't necessarily threatening, I have to admit, girls of our size couldn't be scary if we wanted to. But since we are girls, which means we often play other girls, the only thing we have to do is be hotter or more beautiful than the opponent!"

"Why would that help anything?"

"because 87 percent of the female tennis players has blond hair, is snobby and is insecure about their appearance "

Somehow I just hallucinated that a certain glasses wearing character was before me, making Penal Tea.

"Yes…? And?"

"So if faced with an insanely hot opponent, they unconsciously pay more attention to their own appearance, and in doing so, make stupid mistakes"

"You have really thought this out haven't you?"

"There has been a time in the past when it was needed that I won a few matches, so I developed this strategy"

"I see… But there is one flaw in your plan, and that is that Ryoma-kun isn't an insecure girl"

There appeared a dangerous smile on Hana's face, oh crap…

"Don't you worry, because my strategy has a 'how to beat a guy' part too…"

"There is…? I'm almost scared to ask…"

"It's basically the same"

"…It is?"

"The first thing you need is an outfit!"

I have a bad feeling about this…

~X~

Fifteen minutes later I find myself at the mall…

"I-I don't think this even counts as an outfit anymore Hana-senpai…"

"Oh, nonsense! It suits you, don't you agree boys?"

A choir of catcalls and wolf whistles is heard. Just great, I'm going to get arrested for indecency before that tennis match even starts. This is where I draw the line.

"I think we should go for a little less 'tennis girl' themed stripper and a little more to the subtle side"

I said as I walked out of the changing room in my normal and nicely covering clothes.

"Oh, whatever you want honey, but I still say you looked fabulous in that last one"

"And I still say I looked like a prostitute"

"Don't be such a prude babe"

Sigh… this better be worth it.

~X~

Even though I only met Hana this afternoon, I think we are a going to be very good friends. Even if Mission: Get Ryoma-kun To Notice Me try: 1001 goes wrong, I'll still have made a new friend.

After another hour, Hana and I found the perfect tennis outfit. Even I have to admit that I look wonderful in it. It somehow shows of the curves I have and creates the illusion of curves (read: boobs) I lack. Also it's very, very red. I love it, and if that grin on Hana's face counts for anything than she does too.

After that we both decided that was enough for one day, traded phone numbers and promised to get together later that week to discuss the rest of the Strategy™.

I have to say that this was interesting, I have finally had an afternoon in which I could be myself again for a while.

~X~

The rest of the week goes by in a flash, I went to school, did my homework, (tried to) talk to Ryoma-kun, and went for ice-cream with Tomo. Nobody has noticed anything different about me so far. (Okay, there is a 90 percent chance that Inui noticed, but what doesn't he notice. I like to pretend that he doesn't pay much attention to me, for my own sanity.) But there was something different about me. I was working on the Strategy™. I would meet Hana on Saturday, because we (in her words) needed the whole day for character forming, and flirting lessons. A feeling of dread washes over me just thinking about it. I think I need a cup of calming tea… Maybe I can beg some of Tezuka-buchou…

…Before I noticed it was Saturday.

Hana called me beforehand, saying I needed to come over to her house for mission consultation. Let me tell you something, Hana's house scares me. It's a big, strange European house, it looks kinda out of place in a neighborhood of old Japanese houses. Like a elephant between a group of fridge's… Wait, what?

At the door I was greeted by a maid in an outfit… Well let's just say that tennis outfit I tried on at the mall was decent in comparison. I'm scared.

The maid (who somehow exuded professionalism despite the outfit) drops me of at a door which read:

Hana's Room

Don't enter without permission

So I knocked. Knowing Hana, entering without permission would lead to being killed slowly and painfully, tore in may pieces and send to Australia in a box. Or something like that.

"Sakuno-chan! Come in! We have so much to do and so little time!"

…And I was pulled in the hole of the demon, I mean Hana.

~X~

"Okay beautiful, get ready to rock 'n' roll"

"Okay, sure..?"

"First things first, are you sure Echizen is a guy?"

"Yeah, very sure…"

I'm turning red again, you would understand had you been there at the time, it wasn't pretty…

"I'd love to hear the story behind that, but that will have to wait."

"You really don't want to know…"

"Yes I do, but right now, it's time for the hair"

"The hair?"

I swear I feel like a parrot sometimes when I'm with Hana… Wonder why.

"Yes, I hate to agree with your love interest, but it's too long for tennis, or seducing tennis players. Also: a new hairdo will attract his attention"

"Alright, you win. As long as you're not shaving me bald, go ahead"

"Woohoo!"

~X~

And that's how I ended up with hair in layers, just below my shoulders.

"Ohh, smokin' hot baby!"

"Whatever you say"

"Oh, Sakuno, you know I'm right. This is going to work, if Echizen is a guy, he will have hormones, even _if_ he's gay, he will consciously or unconsciously be attracted to you, it's in his nature"

"…"

"And if I'm right and he has some of his fathers pervert genes, then this will have even more effect"

"Okay explain Hana, how exactly is this going to make me win the tennis match?"

"That's simple…"

There she goes again, everything is simple to her. Life is simple in her eyes, I suspect she's crazy.

"If he looks at your legs or chest, he doesn't look at the ball"

Okay, that in some strange way, made actual sense. Nice and simple, I like it.

"I see… Somehow I don't think this is going to work on Ryoma-kun, he's way to focused on the game"

"There's where the next step of the Strategy™ comes in"

"Yeah…?"

"Yeah, and that is, be 'unconsciously' sexy"

And.. Cue the blush.

"W-what?"

" 'unconsciously' sexy. In the tennis game he will be focused on you, on how you move and how you play"

"Probably…?"

"So if you move sexily, he will notice"

"And how do I do all this stuff ?"

"For that we have to move to the dancehall, there is an instructor there who can help with that"

~X~

"Look, like this! Remember Sakuno Honey, sexy isn't JUST skimpy clothes, it's a move of the hips, a look in the eyes."

Right now I'm being taught how to move, 'dance' sexily by, by far the gayest French dance instructor I've ever seen. _Shut up, for all you know I'm acquainted with a million gay French dance instructors!_ With the occasional comment from Hana, like just now. The moment the instructor (is name is Pierre) heard of my problem with Ryoma-kun, he insisted on helping. He sees to enjoy this greatly.

"I think I've got it…"

"_Oui_! You're starting to learn _Cherie_, move a little more carelessly graceful.. Like a cat! "

"Like this…?"

"Oui, Oui! Tres Bien!"

Pierre reminds me of Hana. Ten bucks say it's her father.

"Okay Honeybee, try this, I think it's perrrfect for a volley!"

At that moment, my mobile started ringing. It was Tomo.

"_SAKUNO! WHERE ARE YOU? I WENT BY YOUR HOUSE AND YOU WEREN'T THERE! YOUR GRANDMA SAID YOU WENT TO A FRIEND, BUT I CALLED THEM ALL AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE I'M SO WORRIED AND….." _

"Tomo, calm down stop screaming, I-I'm fine really"

"_Where are you Sakuno? Are you lost? Stay where you are I'll get you! Is that music on the background, are you in some kind of trouble, are you inside a strip club or something, should I get the regulars to save you, Don't worry Sakuno, I'll save you!"_

"N-NO! Tomo… I'm really with a friend, I'll see you Monday don't worry"

"_With who then? What are you doing?"_

"With Hana. Just talking really… playing some tennis"

You would never believe it Tomo.

"_With who? But okay, If you're sure, but tell me all about it when I see you again!"_

"Sure, bye Tomo"

"_Bye!"_

"Wow she's loud" commented Hana.

"_certainement_ "

~X~

Four torturous hours later, I think I made friends for life with Pierre, can just about seduce anything with eyes, and am dead tired. But luckily, we're just halfway finished. (Please note the sarcasm). Because even Hana and her twisted mind had to admit that skill is at least some part of winning a tennis match. Oh, joy..

And that is how I found myself at the special Saturday trainings session of the Rikaidai tennis regulars.

The moment they heard of the plan to make Ryoma Echizen notice me they were all in for it, saying that the tennis prince very much needed a girlfriend. But skeptic about me.

"How is that little girl with the braids going to make him notice her? She doesn't seem capable of doing anything remotely aggressive". Asked Akaya Kirihara, the demon tennis player I believe.

_You don't do you, demon kid…_ Time to put those long hours of training to use.

"What little girl with braids, Kirihara-san?" I ask, pulling my hair back, moving my hip a little and smiling in a way that would have made Pierre proud.

"Ouch! So perfect it hurts! Go Sakuno-honey~!" Hana cheers.

Kirihara turns quite a shade of red and stutters.

"R-Ryuzaki-chan?"

"The one and only"

The jaws of the Rikaidai regulars hit the ground (Except for their scary vice-captain, who just blinked).

Then Niou, the trickster, wolf whistles.

"Nice"

I smile at him, a little teasingly, I swear Pierre is crying tears of happiness right now, I can feel it.

"You are totally right, but I believe there is some tennis to learn…"

"Alright~!" the red haired sweets addict sang. Did I imagine that longing look Hana just cast him? Hmm I wonder…

"Come on Ryuzaki-chan, show me a swing.."

And so I learned how to play tennis thanks to the regulars of my school's greatest rival.

~X~

It's time. Time to see if the Strategy™ will prove to be successful. The only thing left for me to do is find a time where Ryoma is alone, with a tennis court in it's direct surroundings. Then the games can begin, literally. Maybe that place where I lost to him last time… it's worth a try.

~X~

**So, this chapter is finished. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I think it's better if I make it a two-shot, maybe with some Ryoma POV in it in the next chapter. **

**R&R! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is~! The second and final part of The Strategy™! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is Prince of Tennis. I only own the plot, the Strategy™(xD) and Hana.**

**Enjoy!**

~X~

"I'd like to book a four day trip to the Hokkaido spa and hot springs"

"C-certainly miss Hana"

Hana and I are at a traveling agency, where surprisingly enough, Hana had a 'friend' who gave her huge discounts. I personally feel very sorry for the guy, he seems terrified of Hana. Who knows what she's done to him. Probably threatened to kill all his loved ones in completely new and very creative torturous ways, or maybe she just threatened him with a sexy make-over. I get Goosebumps only thinking about it.

I swear this girl should hook up with Inui so they can be nice and evil for the rest of their days. No, wait, that would lead to little Inui/Hana's, a mix of those to will cause the apocalypse, I'm sure of it. I have to do anything in my power to make sure those two never meet.

You are probably wondering why we are booking a trip to the spa. No? Well you should. Hana decided that, to speed up the Strategy™, Ryuzaki-sensei had to be out of the way. Yes those where her exact words, so to make sure no assassinations would be attempted I suggested to give my grandma a relaxing beauty trip as a belated birthday present, God knows she needs it. And thankfully Hana agreed.

Anyway, in some way's my clinically insane friend is right, if grandma isn't around to coach the team (leading to canceling of the tennis practice), the likelihood Ryoma-kun will be out training on his own will go up with 60 percent. I feel like Inui, I wonder why.

"Well now that is taken care of, let's go grab some coffee"

Hana's friend looks just a little too happy she's leaving.

"What did you do to the poor guy?"

"Oh, don't concern yourself with that honey, let's say he learned his lesson"

That poor, poor guy.

~X~

"So tell me, how is a raven like a writing desk?"

Note to self, never let Hana watch Alice in Wonderland again in her life.

"I mean, you can probably use raven feathers to write but…"

Just tune her out… She can't help it, she's probably related to the Mad Hatter in some way.

Right now we are in the same café we went to shelter against the rain. And Hana is telling me about her favorite movies. There are only so many movie quotes a girl can hear in one day before she starts killing people with an axe. I'll have to distract her in some way before she drives me mad. Oh wait, maybe… this is going to be embarrassing but needed.

"So, if the Strategy™ turns out to be successful, what do I do afterwards?"

As I expected, a dangerous smile formed on Hana's lips. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not as innocent as I look, and even if I was, after spending time with Hana I wouldn't be anymore. She has the interesting power to pollute souls. I know of the birds and the bees thing, I know of touching, kissing and everything around it. But I wonder about the next step in the plan. After Ryoma-kun acknowledges my existence I mean.

"Well honeybee, I don't think you have to worry about that. Echizen seems like a guy who knows how to take things in his own hands, if you know what I mean…"

Surprisingly enough, I'm blushing.

"Yeah…"

"And if he doesn't then you just start Emergency Plan code: 5 Alfa Bravo"

Oh God no, anything but that. I would have to leave the country and disappear, maybe to Italy to stay with one of my connections in the mob and become an assassin. And then a civil war will start. And in the final battle I'll be protected from a brutal dead by the one l love (who I was supposed to kill because he was a spy for the other side) because he jumped before me to take a rain of bullets meant for me. This will lead me to madness and, after killing everyone in a 30 miles radius, will make me spend the rest of my days in a madhouse until it's destroyed by a mysterious explosion that will kill me. Or something like that.

"…let's hope it doesn't come to that"

"Hmm? Whatever could you mean by that?"

"Nothing, nothing..."

~X~

After our 'enlightening' conversation, Hana and I parted ways. Hana was taken away by a man in a limousine, she mumbled something about "taking care of some business". I fear for her next victim. We have made plans for sometime next week. To talk about progress of the Strategy™. In this week people will notice a change, mainly because I cut my hair, alright because Hana attracted my hair. I'll just say I wanted a change or something. Now I have to go and give grandma her present. She's going to be ecstatic.

~X~

It's Monday morning. Everyone who goes or has ever gone to school knows how I feel right now. _A worrisome thing that'll leave you to sing, the blues, in the morning~! _Or something. The Monday morning blues is no joke. I really want to stay in bed right now… Ughh!

That and when I get to school I'm sure a certain pigtail wearing girl will tackle me and demand answers. I have a feeling I shouldn't tell her of the Strategy™ 'till everything is over, because she has the tendency to become a blabbermouth when the wrong people are in the area. I shouldn't challenge fate. But what will I tell her..?

Oh, I really shouldn't think about things this difficult until I had my morning shower and my coffee.

After showering, eating a healthy breakfast consisting of Fruit Loops, drinking my morning coffee and taking half an hour to find my shoe's I can honestly say I'm very, very late. It seems likely that I'll have to run… oh crap.

And that's the reason why I'm sprinting to school right now. Oh God, watch out for the tree Sakuno, and the old lady, and the circus elephant... I really don't have the stamina for this. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, c'mon Sakuno! Keep it up! Dodging most people and apologizing to the ones I couldn't, well dodge I made it only a quarter of an hour late. Go me. I want a medal.

The moment I walked into the classroom I feel the stares and I hear all kinds of whispers about my hair, I don't really care, I have to concentrate on the task at hand. Now I only have to make it to my seat unnoticed…

"So Miss Ryuzaki, I see you decided to grace us with your presence, can I inquirer as to why you are this late?"

I said I wanted a medal, a MEDAL not a lecture.

"W-well… Y-you see m-mister M-Murasaki I'm s-sorry.. "

Maybe I can stutter my way out of this.

"I'm asking you why you are late, not if you sorry miss Ryuzaki" It seems not..

The class laughs a bit. But I feel their pity, I hate pity.

"W-well, mister Murasaki, I was walking to school, still on time, when a woman who walked next to me got into l-labor, I stayed with her to call her husband and to wait for a cap to bring her to the h-hospital.. "

Dear old mister Murasaki seems a little dumbstruck, I'll have to thank Ryoma-kun for letting me borrow his excuse without asking.

I take my seat, did I imagine that smirk on the tennis princes face…?

And, having gotten over his shock, mister Murasaki went on with his Biology lesson.

"So, if the mother is blond haired dominant and the father is red haired recessive then there's a one on three chance of a red-haired child"

I somehow just remembered why I dislike Biology with a passion.

~X~

It's lunchtime, my favorite subject of all time. And I feel like I know more about Mendel's first law then I ever wanted to in my entire life. And Tomo can appear at any moment now and I have no excuse, all in all I feel great…

"HEY SAKUNO!!!"

A loud, maybe slightly annoying voice screamed, and then I was glomped by my best friend. Who was exclaiming she had been so worried. Sigh.. Tomo is quite the hand full.

"Oh. My God! Sakuno! I love you hair!!"

"T-thanks Tomo… I-I thought it was time for a change"

"Totally! It's perrrfect!"

Maybe she forgot… oh Lord let her have forgotten it.

"Now tell me, what did you do on The Day You Disappeared? I'm dying to know~!"

Or maybe not.

"W-well… "

Come on Sakuno! Think fast!

"I have known Hana-senpai for a while, but she's always busy taking care of business so I don't see her very much. When I went to the hairdresser to get my hair done and as it happens, Hana-senpai was there too. She gave me some tennis advice and we talked for a bit, and we decided to meet up on Saturday. When you called we were just in the middle of watching a dance performance, that's why I couldn't talk"

From where I pulled that story I'll never know. And I didn't exactly lie, I just creatively used the truth, Hana would have been proud.

"Wow.. I never knew… that you had other friends I mean"

"S-should I take that as an insult T-Tomo?"

When in doubt, stutter and guilt trip the other.

"Ofcourse NOT! Sorry Sakuno!!! Forgive me, I'll make it up to you, how about ice-cream.!?"

I feel a little bit guilty… oh well…

~X~

Just twenty more minutes, nineteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight, fifty-seven… why doesn't that damn clock tick faster! Grrr… sometimes I swear he ticks a few seconds backwards…

"Miss Ryuzaki"

Just nineteen minutes and forty seconds now… Come on mister Clock, you can tick faster, gimme an C gimme a L gimme a O C K, what do you get? Clock!! GO CLOCK~!

"Miss Ryuzaki!"

What does he want? If he wants to ask me something he doesn't have to yell… I'm not deaf. And if I was deaf then yelling wouldn't help, he would have to use sign language. God how did that idiot ever get a teaching license?

"MISS RYUZAKI!!"

Urg.. So loud. Maybe if I stutter he'll feel remorse for destroying my eardrums ..?

"Y-yes m-mister Harada?"

"I have been calling you for the last five minutes! Could you PLEASE answer the question!?"

I know for a fact that it has been thirty seconds at the most, but let's not tell him that. Wait, what question…?

"C-could you repeat that question sir?"

I spy, I spy a twitch under his eye?

"Why, Miss Ryuzaki, would you say the sky is blue?"

Physics, my absolute favorite next to biology.

"Ehh…"

Wait! Hadn't we established that mister Harada was an idiot, meaning he probably doesn't know himself… Maybe I can bluff myself out of this…

"Yes, miss Ryuzaki?"

He's enjoying this… the bastard. Well here goes..

"Well… Actually, the coloring in the sky that you observe is a result of light rays being scattered by air and anything in it. The rays of light with the longer wavelengths, such as reds and yellows, tend to travel more easily through the atmosphere, while the rays with the shorter wavelengths, like blues and indigos, tend to be dispersed more easily. These more easily dispersed shorter light rays are what give the sky its blue color. The color emitted by the refraction of gasses in the atmosphere is what causes the sky to be the color it appears. The protective ozone layer which is thicker in some places than it is in others, reflects blue when exposed to the suns radiation. So ozone gas expressed as O3 is responsible in large part to the blue sky. The dust particles I mentioned before are responsible for the various hues and colors we see such as the red sunsets."

Top that.

Mister Harada looks a little pale… staggers back a bit, and sits on his chair, hand on his forehead.

"T-that's right…"

I knew it! He's an idiot! Why is he allowed to teach? Maybe he is related to Hana and she blackmailed the school into hiring him. Or maybe he's a secret agent on an undercover mission at our school to catch a dangerous criminal who has take refuse here. My money goes to that being Fuji-senpai, I can somehow picture him as a sadistic psychotic criminal mastermind.

All in all, I am of the humble opinion that Physics sucks. Why didn't I choose history..? Oh right, that accident involving Tomo, pudding and an ancient Greek artifact…

Oh, it seems mister Harada has calmed down a bit. He goes on with the lesson while shaking just a little.

~X~

Finally! School's out~! I survived another day. Can I have applause? No, why not? I haven't made it home without accidents yet? Oh, don't sweat it!

A greenish black-haired guy with a Fila cap on his head passes me.

Hey, isn't that…?

"R-Ryoma-kun?"

The samurai junior turns around, looking hot as ever. Damn. Why couldn't he have been ugly? This would have been so much easier that way. Bu no… He had to be smoking hot every nanosecond of the day. Even when he looks bored as Hell, like right now.

"Hn, hi Ryuzaki"

Now again, like you mean it.

"How are you?"

"Tennis practice was canceled"

Oh sure, cause that's totally an emotion. "I'm fine Ryuzaki, how are you?" is that really so hard? Better not tell him it was me who gave his tennis coach a free trip to the spa… He seems like the kind of guy who would hold a grudge.

"Y-yes.. Grandma went to the hot springs for four days.."

"Hn"

He looks at me searchingly, do I have something on my face or something?.

"You've cut your hair"

Oh, wow. Figured that out all on his own? Give the guy a cookie.

"Y-Yeah, do you like it Ryoma-kun?"

"It's better suited for tennis"

"thanks.."

Typical, very, very typical.

~X~

"That's what he said"

"I see, well I think that is going to be the closest thing to a compliment you will get as he is now."

"I was afraid of that"

Hana and I are at her strange, strange house again. In a room that somehow reminds of a spy headquarters. I wouldn't have expected less from Hana. She probably has a weapon cabinet around here somewhere.

"Don't worry Sugar pie, if my calculations are correct, then in two days, the Match will take place"

"Have you calculated where it will take place…?"

I wouldn't be surprised.

"Ofcourse!"

See.

"There is a 84 percent chance that it will take place at the public tennis court close to the mall, if you count the chance it will rain, snow or that the world comes at it's end, otherwise it's a 95 percent"

"…How much is the chance that the world comes at its end on that particular date?"

"0,0000001 percent"

"Phew, that's not too much"

"It's higher than it has ever been in the whole history of mankind"

"…You have such a way of making me feel better"

"And it's all for free babe"

Sigh…

~X~

The day of truth has come. I'm on my way to the tennis courts. On the bus. In a long coat covering the Outfit (so I don't scare old ladies or attract perverts). Wish me luck.

Ahh, It seems like the Strategy™ worked, there is Ryoma-kun, playing tennis for a change. He's on his own, perfect. I knew giving grandma that vacation would work in my advantage. Time to see if my efforts were useful. I sure hope so, otherwise I have polluted my soul for nothing. Like Hana would say: time to rock and roll.

~X~

"R-Ryoma-kun? Hi!"

A familiar voice called, the braids girl right? The one who stutters and blushes with the wobbly hips…Ryuzaki. There goes my peace and quiet, though she's not as bad as her friend.

"Hn, hi Ryuzaki"

Ryuzaki wore a long overcoat, she looked a bit silly, she must feel small in it. But there's something different about her. Her hair. The braids girl has cut her hair, I saw it already at school. She looks strange, but not in a bad way. It will benefit her in tennis.

Well, let's make the best of her presence. Though she's not what you call talented, I need an opponent. A guy can only hit a ball against the wall for so many times before he turns mad. Really, why did the coach decide to go on a trip on school days. I need to train.

"Up for a tennis match, Ryuzaki?"

I'll just go easy on her. Otherwise this will be over in five minutes.

~X~

Typical, a feeling of déjà vu washes over me. My chance presented on a silver platter.

"S-sure.."

Let's see if I will get a reaction on the outfit. Probably something like: aren't you cold… Now of with that overcoat, I feel kinda small. I slip the coat of my shoulders in a way that has been drilled in my head for hours.

And the reaction I get, is promising at the very least. Judging from the way his eyes first widen and then get a dangerous dark look in them, I think Hana was right about some things.

~X~

S-sure.."

And she get out of her ridiculous overcoat. Only to reveal… Oh Hell... Ryuzaki wears a tennis outfit that seems to have walked straight out of my fathers dirty magazines. Oh, God. That's very, very bad. Skintight, all her curves are shown off as well as her legs. I didn't know Ryuzaki was capable of looking like this. But honestly, you don't see me complaining…

Okay I just have to stop imagining what's under that outfit, and focus on tennis. I don't want to pull an oyaij on her, that would be bad for both of us.

"Let's play"

If I can just beat her quickly and then convince her to put that overcoat back on then every thing will be fine.

Ryuzaki serves. No she _serves_, for some reason she moves her muscles in such a way that has me stare. The way her back arches and her hips move, like she's dancing.

…And Ryuzaki aces the serve, she looks just as surprised as I am. Damn, lost my focus, I feel oyaij laughing down at me.

~X~

Very, very Promising… And very surprising. Work pays of it seems.

~X~

The next serve of Ryuzaki's I luckily get, and it turns into a rally. She got better, just on the moment it was needed the least. And I swear to God those legs… they kill me slowly, and I love every minute of it. Everytime she returns a ball, everytime she moves she can somehow make it into something seductive. A little smile plays on her red lips, were they always this red? She's has to know what she's doing, she's taunting me.

And she scores another point. focus Echizen, focus!

The way her body stretches when she reaches for a ball, the way her hips sway to an unheard beat. I have never seen anything remotely this sexy. She's beautiful. She's mine. The moment she set foot in this court, she was mine to play with. Literally.

The way we play, the little noises she makes when she returns a ball. It's like we're doing entirely different from tennis, if you get my drift. Sweat drips from her face to her neck under her clothes into places I really shouldn't think of right now.

She has the game.

The look in her eyes should be illegal. The move of her hips is a sweet sin. She should never play tennis again in her life. I don't want anyone else to see her like this. She should never look at anyone else but me like that. She's killing me. She should just stay with me.

And I should just focus and win this game!

The next games are mine. But my control is fading. With every move she makes it's crumbling to nothingness with her body. Her hair dances a wild dance around her face. What was I thinking telling her to cut her hair?

Sakuno smashes, I swear she's evil doing this to me.

"four games to two"

Her voice whispers huskily. She's panting from tiredness, making her chest move in a delicious way. She's slightly flushed. She's like a dark angel.

I'm losing. To Miss Wobbly Hips. And loving every minute of it. I manage to take one more game, but then it's over.

The moment she makes the final point, is the moment I'm at her side. She looks at me with an innocent look that makes it hard to believe what she did just now.

"Six games to three, match" she whispers.

"Your mine, Sakuno"

The look in her eyes is one of incomprehension. That's when I pull her to me and I kiss her, hard.

I taste her, she tastes like sweetness and my new addiction.

She seems a little frightened at first, shy even, but after a few moments she kisses me back, passionately. The way she touches me right now she will never touch anyone else, I'll make sure of that. the way she moves against me will forever be our secret.

~X~

I can't believe it. It worked, in a way I would have never expected. I'm kissing Ryoma-kun. His hands are all over me. I'm starting to think this worked a little to well…

Oh, hmm… or not, he can do whatever he wants if it's like that. The possession that lingers in his kiss tells me everything that I ever wanted is in my reach now. Hana has my eternal gratitude, maybe I'll bake her a cake so she can give it to a certain sweets addicted tennis player...

Now if you'll excuse me, his tongue makes it a little hard to concentrate… Hmm…

~X~

Somewhere behind a random bush in the area, a certain data player/stalker is dying of a nosebleed, swearing to God he'll never follow the young prince of tennis again.

"Iie Data..."

~Fin~

**Phew… It's finally finished. I sure worked uncharacteristically long and hard on this Fanfiction. But to be honest I just really liked this story. Thanks to anyone who reviewed, I feel very loved haha.**

**There are quite a lot of things I don't own in this final chapter.**

**I don't own: Alice in Wonderland, The blues in the Night (Katie Melua), Fruit Loops, the explanation as to why the sky is blue, (she gave the right answer btw.) (Wiki answers).**

**Well, tell me what you think! **

**R&R**


	3. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Prince of Tennis? Me owning it? Well you see… I once was very close to buying PoT on this very non suspicious auction in Wonderland but then this enormous dinosaur came along, and I guess I couldn't control myself…

Long story short: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

_**Epilogue **_

**~X~ **

It was an exceptionally hot day. A day most people spend relaxing on the beach or simply sipping cold drinks in their backyards while reading a good book. Yes, it was summer break. Everyone did exactly what they pleased.

…Ofcourse there were exceptions, the Segaku tennis team for instance.

"Hey, has anyone seen the Chibi?" A catlike redhead asked rather loudly, seemingly unfazed by the heat while smashing a ball at his opponent.

His doubles partner looked at him tiredly. "Echizen said he would be late"

Eiji blinked, then threw down his racket and turned around to storm of in the direction of their stoic captain, yet another person who seems to be completely unbothered by the heat.

"Tezuka-bunchou, it's so unfair! Why doesn't Chibi have to train?"

Tezuka looks at him emotionlessly. "He will run 10 laps when he returns" he said, clearly unhappy that his youngest regular wasn't present Eiji noted. "And you will too if you don't return to your training" Eiji gulped and ran back to his game. Rule one in the Segaku tennis team: Don't Mess With Tezuka.

"Maybe he has a date!" Momoshiro joked, they all chuckled at the idea.

"With who? His tennis racket?"

Somehow, Inui looked uncomfortable and a little green in the face, he also seemed to have the goose bubs.

"Everything all right with you, Inui?" Oishi asked changing into his motherly mode.

Inui shook his head, somehow looking scared, and seeing this Oishi insisted that he'd go to the school nurse that still had to be present until the sport clubs would go on their summer stop.

"The rest of you: stop slacking of unless you want to run twenty laps!" the voice of their captain commanded.

And so training resumed without the Samurai Junior and with Inui at the infirmary.

**~X**

It was the end of training, Echizen had never shown up, and somehow the regulars felt a little concerned. Ryoma Echizen, missing a chance to play tennis? And that while their coach had finally returned from her birthday Spa trip, that she had extended to two weeks for unknown and probably unexplainable female reasons.

Tezuka, level-headed as ever although the slightest bit concerned about the prince, finally decided to call Ryoma's parents to find out if he was sick or something. To say it was an interesting experience would be an understatement…

It went something like this:

"Hello, you're speaking with Tez-"

"_Hi Tetsumi babe, Najirou here~! Tell me Honey, were you thinking about me hehehe?"_

A twitch was seen under the eye of our favourite captain.

"…You're speaking with Tezuka, the captain of you're son's tennis team, is he at home? He didn't show up for training today…"

"…_Awww, You're not Tetsumi?"_

"…_No."_

"_Well, my idiot son isn't here, I'm sorry, but I'm expecting an important call soo…"_

Beep beep beep…

He had hung up, his son was missing, and he hang up. Typical.

The tennis regulars looked expectantly at their captain.

"…He's not at home"

And hell broke lose.

"We have to look for him!"

"Maybe he was kidnapped!"

…And so on. Only Inui stayed suspiciously silent.

**~X~**

As the regulars searched the whole of Tokyo they grew more desperate by the second. What could have possibly happened to the Tennis Prince? Maybe Atobe had kidnapped him to force him to go and play for the Hyotei tennis club. That would be disastrous!

**~X~**

_Meanwhile i__nside a cute café downtown…_

Ryoma looked at his girlfriend over his double espresso. He enjoyed looking at her, right now she was fully occupied by drinking her coffee. She was just so painfully cute sometimes that he couldn't believe what had happened two weeks ago. She had become so important to him is such a short time that it almost frightened him.

…Although actually, his only real fear was for the day that she would meet his father, he could fully picture her breaking up with him only for the rather good reason of never having to be in the presence of his father again in her life.

Sakuno on the other hand had noticed him staring at her for a while now, she wondered why he wore such a worried/annoyed expression. Well, she thought, he probably thinks about a tennis problem, I mean, why not? You're only on a date with your girlfriend, obviously tennis is more important! Sometimes he's just so annoying!

…Heh, She'll just have to remind him who'd his girlfriend, herself or tennis. She liked this already.

"Ryoma-kun?" she asks, shaking him out of his thoughts. She had long stopped stuttering in his presence.

"Yes?" at least now he pays attention to her.

"Let's go to my house next, my grandma wants me to cook so I have to be home on time"

Perfect excuse, another skill she'll have to thank Hana for. Speaking of Hana, she hadn't seen her after the time she had told her about her fear Inui-sempai would tell the regulars. Which was almost two weeks ago. They had only spoken through the phone. Sakuno had had the rising suspicion that Inui had witnessed the Match. The glint in his eyes was crystal clear. She also knew that her tennis obsessed boyfriend didn't want his teammates to know yet, to avoid their teasing. Luckily after that Inui-sempai completely started to ignore her.

"Sure, drink you coffee and we'll go" was the Tennis Princes answer.

…

**~X~**

Now you are probably wondering why Inui didn't tell his friends about the obvious reason why Ryoma was absent for more then one occasion in the last two weeks. You aren't? Well you should. It's like this:

You can't hear it, but right know creepy music starts playing…

_It was a dark, stormy night. A figure was seen crouched behind it's computer. The cold light of the screen illuminated his face, deforms it into something horrible. His mouth forms a crooked smirk. Anyone would have been freaked, if not horrified by the sight, but not her._

_As she stands behind the rainy window she smiles softly about how perfect the circumstances are for her mission. She races her hand to knock on the door, once, twice, three times and sees how he jumps_

_._

_Slightly shaken he walks to the door, who could that be outside in such a storm? He opens the door cautiously. Revealing a small drenched woman, who didn't say anything but just pushed passed him and entered his house. It was only then that she opened her mouth to speak._

"_You and I need to talk" she said and somehow the man felt very threatened._

"_Who are you, and what do you want?" the man asked rather hysterically, looking at her with large eyes._

"_Who I am is of no concern for you, I come here to complete a request of a good friend" the tone of her voice was cold and frightening._

"_W-what kind of request?" the man asked._

"_My friend wants you silenced"_

_At that moment the man was sure his life was over. He felt like he had to ask though, who had send the demon in female form to put an end to him, and why. _

"_W-who is person, and why!" his voice squeaked._

_The blonde smirked. _

"_Well Inui Sadaharu, it's obvious you know to much, my friend wants you to 'forget' certain things you have seen"_

"_W-what things?"_

"_Do the names Sakuno Ryuzaki and Ryoma Echizen ring any bells?"_

_His eyes widened. _

"_My friend wants' that report you're writing about them and all other evidence of their relationship destroyed, along with the guarantee that you won't talk. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way"_

"…" _Inui was silent, he couldn't process this information._

"_the easy way will be you keeping your mouth shut, the hard way will be revealed if you don't "_

_And with that she was gone. But the wind carried insane giggles to his ears._

_He would never be the same._

_**The End.**_

**~X~**

And that, dear readers is why the data player kept his mouth shut.

The moral of this story is: one should never underestimate the power of friendship. That is a very valuable lesson for the rest of your life.

**~X~**

The regulars where close to panicking. They had looked everywhere, all pubic tennis courts, at all his classmates houses, even at Horio's although the likelihood of him being there was close to zero. Horio had freaked out though,

"What? Echizen is missing? I, with my 2 years of tennis experience will help you look! " And that's how another useless member helped them in their search.

Weren't they forgetting one classmate though...?

Come on…

Almost…

Think just a little bit harder…

BAM!

…That's when Momoshiro remembered that last classmate of Ryoma's that they hadn't visited yet…

"How about Ryuzaki Sakuno?"

"…"

And they all sprinted to the Ryuzaki residence.

**X~ **

Sakuno was sitting next to Ryoma on the couch, half watching a movie, half formulating her plan. Ryoma only looked at the TV screen, obviously bored out of his mind by what was on.

A dangerous glint was seen in Sakuno's eyes, she smirked.

"Ryoma-kun~?"

The Samurai Junior turned to her, only to be attacked by her lips. He kissed her back immediately turning the kiss into a full make out session. They completely forgot their surroundings. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He laid her down on the sofa the had been sitting on. They were completely lost in each other.

Inwardly Sakuno giggled, now _this _was more like it…

**~X~**

The regulars hesitantly rang the doorbell to the Ryuzaki residence.

The door was opened by their annoyed looking coach.

"What are you guy's doing here? I see you lot enough at school please go home"

Obviously she was not in the best of moods. It had just been such a terribly hot day that she couldn't help it.

They all started talking at the same time, making no sense what so ever.

"Echizen is…"

"…searched the whole of Tokyo"

"Missing"

"Police…"

"ATOBE!"

"Shut up." Was Ryuzaki Sumire's calm replay. She then went to look at the only calm one in the crowd that had gathered in front of her house.

"Tezuka, what happened?"

"We lost Echizen"

The coach blinked a few times at that answer, she then smiled.

"Well, look no further, he's here but-"

Only to be cut of by a stream of people running towards her living room…

**~X~ **

The sight they met when they opened the door made them pause.

There on the living room couch were Sakuno and Ryoma, but they were 'busy' with each other and didn't acknowledge the visitors at all. They just kept making out.

The moment Sakuno let's out a breathy moan is the moment Oishi faints and the rest of the audience gets red ears.

And the rest of them screamed (excluding Tezuka of course)

"_?"_

Sakuno looked up at them with cold annoyed eyes,

"Do you guys mind leaving the room?"

And they all escaped the scene…

**~X~**

_SLAM! _

_A blond haired woman close's a large ancient looking book. _

"_And that children, is how the Regulars learned of the relationship between their young genius and the coaches granddaughter" _

…_A group big eyed children look at the glasses wearing girl in wonder and admiration._

**~X~**

_**A/N: **_hohohohoho! I know I said the last chapter was the end, but guess what? I lied!

No really I only thought of this epilogue a few days ago. Tell me any mistakes, I'm sure they're in there. Oh, and you will receive my eternal love and adoration for reviewing.

Well, Hopefully 'till the next story~!

Bye bye.


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